What Fools These Mortals Be
by LaughterNeverDies
Summary: Now bonded with a human, a hunter, Castiel must face the judgement of his peers and accept the punishment they inflict. Beneath a broken heaven, Dean walks his earth alone, unknowing of what Castiel is enduring for their love. Sequel to 'Saving Grace', can be read as stand alone piece.
1. Chapter 1

"It has come to our attention, brother that you have become dangerously, and, it has to be said, intimately involved with your charge."

Castiel cast his eyed downwards to the earth, where Dean, _his _Dean was facing his life alone and unprotected. The angel said nothing, holding the hunter in his thoughts and refusing to be convinced of his sin. His brothers surrounded him, disapproval and sadness expressed in their voices.

Suddenly his soul was ripped towards the earth, and they were travelling with him, conjuring their mortal vessels, appearing before him on the earth as human. Castiel could now see the malicious hunger and disappointment in their expressions and the way his brothers held themselves as they spoke with borrowed lips and tongues in a language which was not their own.

Uriel smiled sadistically and stepped forwards to where Castiel was crouched nervously on the ground, coiled to strike like a viper, his mind whirring with thoughts of Dean, consumed with love for his human. "Perhaps you require some persuasion then?" Castiel grimaced as images of Dean Winchester, crippled in agony and writhing helplessly as he was tortured by the angel's family, flashed through his mind, deposited there by his brother to inflict pain upon him. He shook his head to clear the intrusive thoughts. They would not find those precious memories of that night, those were locked away in a private part of the angel's consciousness, and Castiel kept them for himself to carry him through the lonely nights when the two of them were forced to be apart. His brothers would never know the overwhelming sense of fulfilment and utter euphoria of making love, the pleasure of feeling Dean inside him, completing him as they fitted together like pieces of a bizarre and intricate puzzle, and the intense and emotional bond they had shared as Dean caressed his wings and they gave in to their innermost desires.

It was Thursday, the day Castiel had been charged to. Thursday was his day, his initial purpose for which he was created, his very own raison de etre. Although much had changed since the dawn of his birth, and his duties had become more current and influential on the world, Thursday still held a special significance for the angel. It was the day of his creation, the day he received his first mission on earth, and the day Castiel finally lay down with Dean, his charge, and his only love in this world or the next. And if he wasn't careful, it was also going to be the day he died.

Or at the very least, suffered serious physical injury.

Uriel smiled.

* * *

Dean wandered the lonely streets, swinging the keys to the Impala in a tiny vortex around his index finger. He turned his gaze absently towards the skies, feeling something pulling his eyes upwards, some kind of secret inkling which made him frown with concern. It was like he was drawn to whatever was up there, perhaps it was Castiel, feeling thoughtful and sentimental about their relationship. The angel seemed to have that effect on him. Dean would often feel when Cas was in trouble, or simply feeling blue. In these circumstances this sensation often occurred seconds before Cas materialised and gave him a heart attack, seeking some human comfort or a bit of simple companionship with the hunter. Others, it was just before a broken, bleeding angel would appear before him and collapse into his arms.

Dean kept a wary eye on the skies, noting any sudden movement around him and idly humming the opening lines to 'Long Long Way From Home' by Foreigner. It comforted him somewhat when Castiel didn't appear, but he still found the feeling unsettling, like having a phantom limb.

Although Dean wouldn't admit it to himself, he loved Castiel more than seemed possible, almost as much as he loved Sam, although in an entirely different context. It frightened him to know the intensity of his emotions, and so the human kept them buried in the back of his mind, flinching away from any opportunity to express such feelings towards the angel. There were many moments that would have been so perfect, like the time they had just finished battling a nest of demons and Cas had taken his hand, not even caring that Sam could see, and leant against Dean in exhaustion after pressing a tender kiss to his cheek. Or there was the time the angel snuck into his room and kissed him awake, and then took Dean to some kind of beautiful tropical beach to watch the stars and make love beneath them on a blanket spread over the hot sand. Yes, there was no doubt that the angel was a true old school romantic, and that Castiel had presented Dean with countless opportunities to tell him how he felt, but Dean just wasn't ready yet. One day, they would be together, and the words would just come to him, but Dean didn't know when that would be. He had never told anyone that he loved them before, and as a private man who made sure not to get attached to the many girls he picked up in the bars he and Sam frequented to blow off a little steam, he didn't know how to, and he wanted it to be right.

Dean chewed the inside of his cheek and stopped momentarily to listen to the dull silence of a street long tucked up in bed. "Cas?" He called, hating that he sounded worried and irritatingly needy. "Are you there? Please, I need to see you," he continued regardless, "Cas I know you're up there, take a minute would ya?" _Yeah, _thought Dean, _take a minute to show me you're not dead. _

* * *

Castiel lifted his head from the floor, pain throbbing in his skull. Dean's clear voice cut through the fog of his agony and resounded in his head. He loved to hear Dean speak to him. Being prayed to left him feeling elated and happy, like the giddy excitement of curiosity mixed with hesitation one feels upon hearing a doorbell. Dean sounded worried, and inside Castiel was anxious to go to him, but his brothers had trapped him here and he hated the way he couldn't reassure his hunter.

Uriel grinned as the other angels beat Castiel into the dirt, taunting him with the outrage of his actions. All the while Castiel remained emotionless and vacant, as though he had retreated inside himself and detached his mind from the body it occupied.

"If you refuse to see sense we will be forced to take action for your own good." Uriel said. "Humans and angels cannot be together, much less sexually involved. A higher authority can be alerted Castiel, and you know what that means." Castiel lifted his pounding head and looked Uriel in the eyes, blood dripping from his nose and an ugly purple bruise blossoming on his cheekbone. When he spoke his voice was low and threatening.

"I am your superior, Uriel. You have no right in threatening my charge and my chosen mate. We are bonded, and I will fight for him until there is not a single angel left in this world that can bring him suffering."

"Your MATE?" Uriel spat in disgust, "Brother, you cannot have allowed your petty infatuation to control you in this way! It is an abomination for an angel to mate with a human, to become consumed with the pleasures of the flesh. Those lowlife insects are not worthy of an angel's loyalty, much less their love."

Castiel shook his head although it caused him agony. "What I feel for Dean is something you cannot even begin to comprehend." He whispered, his lips quirking into a feint smirk.

"Try me." This voice did not belong to Uriel, or to any angel who had previously been in the room. The voice was deep and fathoming, resonating within the congregation as a figure stepped imposingly out from the gloom. Zachariah passed into the light, offering a nod of recognition towards the other angels. His eyes were cold and calculating, his human body far inferior to his true form.

The angel cast his gaze around the room, pausing as he glanced towards Castiel, who was now a crumpled heap on the floor. Zachariah cocked his head in amusement. "Gee guys, a smidge of dignity for little Cassie please!" He said with mock concern. When no one made a move to assist Castiel, Zachariah flicked two fingers into the air, pleasure dancing in his eyes as Castiel was lifted to his feet. Raw, guttural screams filled the room as the younger angel felt unfamiliar grace tearing at his limbs and worming its way into his body, probing and prodding his insides, tugging at his heart in a frighteningly non-metaphorical sense.

"NO!" Castiel roared, lashing out with all his might, struggling to tear himself away from Zachariah's strangling grip.

"No... what?" Zachariah purred, flinging Castiel's limp body carelessly against the wall. There was a sickening crack as Castiel landed on the concrete, his resolve quickly fading along with the pain, which was now replaced with a comfortable numbness in his limbs which spread throughout his body. He could feel himself slipping away...

* * *

**Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! A review would be delightful if you have the time! x**


	2. Chapter 2

_There was a sickening crack as Castiel landed on the concrete, his resolve quickly fading along with the pain, which was now replaced with a comfortable numbness in his limbs which spread throughout his body. He could feel himself slipping away..._

"Get away from him, you jumped up little fairy!" Castiel's metaphorical heart skipped a beat, pride and love swelling within him as Dean Winchester strode into the warehouse brandishing a gun and looking promisingly determined to cause some serious damage.

Zachariah smirked and turned to face the eldest Winchester, lifting his hand to flick him away like a pesky insect as he had done Castiel. Dean aimed the gun at the angel, still bracing himself for the inevitable pain. Zachariah swept his hand towards the hunter...

Nothing happened.

Embarrassed, he tried again, swiping at the air in an attempt to throw Dean off balance, ruffle his clothes a little, anything! A light breeze tousled a few strands of Dean's hair and stilled. Behind them both there came a weak little chuckle followed by a bout of coughing as Castiel hacked up blood. Slowly, terribly, Zachariah turned.

Castiel cried out as he painfully found himself without a pair of lungs, his last breath torn from him in a raw and guttural scream.

"NO!" Dean yelled, firing at the other angel. "Fix him you son of a bitch!" he growled, knocking Zachariah back with the force of the bullets. Zachariah grimaced, trying again to pick up Dean and throw him against the wall, but his efforts were in vain, and the suddenly imposing hunter remained standing. With one final flourish, Zachariah disappeared, along with the rest of the congregation.

Dean ran to Castiel's side, desperately pawing at his body, looking for some reassurance that Zachariah had mended him. The angel brought his hand up and stilled Dean's frantic fussing.

"Dean," he croaked "I'm alright, Dean." The hunter eyed him warily, having learned the hard way not to trust someone when they sad those damning words. Cas took a steadying breath and closed his eyes. "How did you find me?" he said, his voice still raspy and sore.

Dean shook his head. "I gotta tell you man, it was the weirdest thing, it was like I could sense you or something, I don't know..." he trailed off awkwardly. Having got Castiel into a sitting position, he now rested the angel's head against his chest and kept one arm wrapped securely around his waist to hold him up.

"No, Dean, you are right." Cas said excitedly, as excitedly as any man could who had just had his lungs displaced. "That's it, our bond, you can feel it too!"

Dean stared at him blankly. "So this...bond, is that why Zachariah couldn't zap me with his angel mojo?"

Castiel heaved himself up until he rested exhaustedly on his elbows. "That's what I assumed." He said, looking at Dean and giving him an awkward smile. Dean nodded.

"I'm starting to get the hang of this whole 'bonded' thing." Cas grinned, casting his eyes downwards and finding Dean's hand in the darkness of the empty warehouse.

"I'm glad" he said. Dean said nothing, leaning a little into the angel. He was still unaccustomed to displays of affection, they just didn't agree with him, and his character didn't allow for him to pour his heart out to others. He was much more the closed up, keep it in, shove it down and carry on kind of guy.

"You know, you guys have got some pretty crazy relationship ideas." Dean murmured. Cas turned his head towards him painfully.

"How so?" He asked in puzzlement.

"Well, just, bonding, mating for life. Dude, angels are like animals." He chuckled at his own warped sense of humour.

Cas frowned. "Yes, I can see how that would seem strange to you. But by angel standards, humans have incredibly lax morals and approaches towards love and coupling." Dean inwardly cringed at the word 'coupling', it made sex sound so stoic, dry and just plain old fashioned. Castiel noticed his discomfort and leaned back to give Dean a soft kiss, tasting whiskey on his tongue and the salt of sweat on his lips. "Besides," he said, smiling a little as Dean's rough cheek rubbed against his, enjoying the friction of stubble on the strong, familiar jaw. "Being in an angel relationship is considerably more...intimate than a human one."

Castiel felt more than saw Dean grin beside him.

* * *

Sam Winchester returned to the motel to find Dean and Cas already there, curled up together on Dean's bed. He smiled secretly to himself. Sam had known for some time now that his brother and the angel had become much more than friends, more than lovers, even. He set down the boxes of Chinese takeaway and Dean's slice of pie. He'd had to walk an extra three blocks to find that pie place that had caught his brother's eye on the way into town. But, he supposed that was just a measure of how much Sam loved his dear old brother...that, and how he really wanted to avoid the hiding he would undoubtedly receive if he failed to bring Dean his beloved dessert.

Sam decided not to wake the two sleeping figures, and instead polished off his portion of Chinese with gusto. Good food was hard to come by for the Winchester boys, and now Sam relished the flavours of his meagre meal in silence as the couple rested.

Sam waited for ten minutes. And then he ate the pie.

* * *

Castiel wasn't asleep. He had yet to discover if he was even capable of sleep, but his eyes were closed, and behind the passive and all consuming darkness of his eyelids, the angel listened to the steady breathing of his charge. Dean lay with his legs tangled in Castiel's, one arm draped comfortably over the angel's hip. Cas shifted slightly and pushed closer into Dean's embrace. Their noses brushed lightly. And suddenly, there it was, the moment. It was everything Dean had been waiting for, the warmth of Cas's body curled around him, the safety and privacy of sleep, and the sweep of feathers ticking his skin. They were feathers belonging to an invisible appendage, but one Dean would always know was there. The words came easily then.

"Cas?" He murmured, nudging the angel with his nose.

"Yes Dean," Castiel replied, his voice as smooth and lovely as ever.

"I..." Dean began, finding the next words foreign on his tongue. "I lo-"

"I know Dean." Cas interjected. Dean paused, confused.

"But-"

Cas opened his eyes, seeing Dean with a frown furrowing his brow. Wordlessly, he kissed it away. "I'll always know, you don't have to say it." He said kindly. Dean's eyes flickered open.

"Suppose I want to?" He said defensively. Cas chuckled.

"It's not in your nature Dean, there are ways which tell me how you feel far more eloquently than words ever could."

The hunter did not reply, leaning in to kiss his angel softly into silence. "But you should know I really do, I mean, I always will..." Castiel gazed upon his human mate, the single thread of his grace tethering them together, and tightened his hold on this fragile being which he had sworn eternally to love. His dark wings enfolded them both, stroking gently over the place between Dean's shoulder blades where his wings would be, a particularly intimate gesture and way for mated pairs to touch. He kissed Dean again, allowing him to run his fingers through invisible feathers.

"I know." He said at last. " I know."

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